Few tournaments in the circuit
would allow a player as god-awful as myself to join in the fun, even when I
present to them an entrance fee comprised entirely of United States Dollars.
Gameclucks, however, opened their hearts to my plight and let me enter the
Bronze and Silver league bracket!

THE
EVENT IN VIDEO FORM:

Look forward to tons
more of these cute blog-style videos from my gaming event adventures!

I walked into the familiar LAN
center, Gameclucks, on an uncharacteristically beautiful Saturday afternoon in
Seattle. Gameclucks is not your average LAN center, no. It is home to the most
prominent eSports professionals in the Pacific Northwest, often housing
tournaments for games such as StarCraft II, Marvel vs. Capcom, Super Smash
Bros., League of Legends, and everything in between that can be considered a
game, and played competitively. I was ridiculously early, and found the very
first computer in the place to set up my Razer gaming gear. I plopped down next
to aspiring StarCraft II progamer, MYiSony, and watched him plow through game
after game of Zerg versus Zerg, while I chatted with the other nerd patrons. The
day was already looking bright as more potential competitors streamed through
the door.

As for a little background on the Gameclucks venue, they are sponsored, like myself, by NOS Energy Drinks, and
welcome a barrage of Master and Grandmaster-level players from all around the
Northwest of the US and Canada, many of which are on professional gaming teams
like LighT, My Intent, and Legit Gaming. Caliber, Golden, and KawaiiRice from
Team LighT frequent the venue, and many are GSL Code A contenders, and superior
professionals who are utterly exciting to watch compete... and they're super
sweet people to boot! Sound impressive enough yet? Well, that is just their
StarCraft repertoire!

MATCH
1

Chris, owner of the venue, comes up
to me excitedly, "You'll be the first casted match... so, whenever you're
ready!"

I shiver. I'm used to playing in my
home, on ladder, against different people each match. How was I supposed to play
a best-of-three against people and still surprise them with my build and
harass!? I was nervous, but I went for it! After all, I am given the handicap
because I'm a girl, but I wanted to prove myself!

My whole best-of-three
with my first opponent, caster Hadoken.

I nearly effortlessly beat Hadoken
in my first match, and I was feeling pretty invincible. My multi-pronged Banshee
harass had done the trick, and his early Protoss push hadn't hindered me as much
as he'd expected. I wondered, catching my breath, when it would get easier to be
two places at once. The pros always made it look so easy!

Game two was a mess. I lost my
whole diverse army of Tanks, Marines, and Marauders in the middle of the map
while I wasn't looking. How discouraging... I didn't have a second strong build
in mind for a Protoss opponent, and things were starting to look grim.

Game three, I went in with my
standard build and effortlessly defeated Hadoken, my Protoss opponent. I even
added a bit of flair, dropping half of my overpowering army into his base for a
perfect surround. Yes, I did it!

MATCH
2

My best-of-three with
roach-rusher, Kingdopp. Not cool to lose to an all-in! Boo!

The next set of games, I wasn't so
lucky. A roach rush all-in blew me away twice. The lack of lower-league players
worked to my advantage anyway-- by a technicality I was allowed to advance to
the winner's bracket finals!

The most amazing thing about
eSports isn't the incredible APM of the players, nor is it the tremendous skill
or time they take to practice, it's the awesome feeling you get of family when
you're in the community. Of course, there will always be the negative people, or
trolls who will try to get you angry, but, as a whole, the gaming community is
so supportive, kind, and such a tight knit group of people. Everyone respects
one another, and is always willing to welcome newcomers, give advice, and give
praise where it is due. You can feel this when you enter Gameclucks, especially.
I feel at home, and I am more comfortable coming up to new people and
instigating friendly banter there than pretty much any other event venue. It's
so much fun!

The sexy nerds hard at
work practicing, laddering, and going head-to-head in the LAN tournament! Go
team!

Tensions mounted as Master and
Grandmaster level players battled it out, creating a rise out of the casting
room that could be heard through half of the LAN center. Who would win the
ultimate prize pool?

Throughout the night I played two
Masters-level players. I know, you're thinking, two!? She must have beaten
one and advanced through the bracket, until I confirm the fact that it was a
double-elimination style tournament. One day, Guys, one day...

UNEVEN-RANKED MASTERS MATCH

My best-of-three with
one of the Masters players I was forced to get beaten by. It's kind of amusing,
actually!

Not only is playing video games a
fun way to pass time, it is also a way to train many of your skills, and use
them toward real-life goals. It is a way to connect and keep in touch with
friends on the same level that a website like Facebook lets you stay updated,
but with much more depth... and excitement! eSports is the next step in gaming
entertainment. It is a way for serious players to make money, and akin to the
huge world of professional sports. If you take anything out of this article, it
should be that electronic sports are awesome, and, if you're ever in the Seattle
area, you must stop in and see me at the Gameclucks LAN center! After all, it is
one of the longest running and most successful LANs in the US!

I know it has been a while since I
have been able to release an article. There has been way too much going on with
me, from a stomach flu, to my computer being hacked, travel, modeling, and the
untimely release of the ultimate addiction: Diablo III.

I think I'll jump right in to the
Ask Tara question of the article: "Have you played Japanese
sex games?" This one is amusing. Yeah, I have, over my vast amount of years,
played an anime sex game or two. They are so funny. Pretty much, you talk to a
curvy anime sex babe and answer questions and interact with her, with the
intention of sleeping with her in the end. If you win, you get a graphic hentai
sex scene. It's pretty epic! I think I've actually played something similar in
the Gameworks arcade downtown! I hope you guys have enough tokens!

While I am on the topic of eSports,
and gaming events in general, I'd like to announce that I will be covering
E3 and
MLG Anaheim Spring Championships for Impulse Gamer! I am
incredibly excited, but also a bit nervous. Writing is one thing, but
instigating conversations and interviews with people that I admire sounds
terrifying! Wish me luck! I'm also cosplaying a bit and I purchased two outfits!
Here's a teaser for one... Dragon Ball! YAY!